At a news conference Friday, Todd Schmaderer said four police officers -- including a command officer -- have been relieved of duty pending a termination hearing with the city's labor relations director.

Schmaderer declined to name the officers who were relieved of duty, but he did say they were relieved of duty in two stages Thursday and Friday morning.

Three other officers are on paid administrative leave pending the final outcome of the internal investigation. One other officer remains temporarily reassigned pending the outcome of the investigation.

Authorities launched the investigation after video surfaced of a March 21 incident near 33rd and Seward streets.

"Many of the police actions that took place that day are in violation of our policies and do not represent how I want our officers to carry themselves," Schmaderer said.

Schmaderer said he's completed the bulk of his investigation; however, the investigation remains ongoing.

The police chief addressed many questions raised by the community surrounding the events that transpired.

Was the use of force in the video justified?

"Some people have indicated to me that any use of force is unjustified. This is simply not the case. While use of force is never pretty to look at, a law enforcement officer does have the legal authority to use force that is objectively reasonable to the situation. In police work, we are entering into people’s lives at critical moments and during criminal situations, so compliance may have to be gained by force sometimes, and it’s not always going to look pretty."

Was it legal to chase the individual into the house?

"There are legal exceptions to the requirement of a warrant before entering into a residence. One is fresh pursuit. If an individual is going to be arrested, and that person runs from the police, the officer can chase the suspect across the threshold of the house in order to make an arrest if it is a fresh pursuit. If significant time has elapsed, and the pursuit is not continuous, then a warrant is needed."

"Another exception to the warrant requirement is exigent circumstances. A law enforcement officer can enter a residence without a warrant if he or she reasonably believes someone is injured or being hurt inside the residence."

What happened inside of the house?

"This is completely germane to the internal investigation, and I won’t be able to discuss. Any and all questions, or any derivatives of questions that pertain to the inside of the house, I simply can’t answer as part of the internal investigation right now. If my decisions are appealed to the arbitrator or become the subject of a criminal or civil proceeding, then elements of what took place inside the house can become public."

What happened to the dogs at the scene?

"Two dogs were picked up from the residence by the Nebraska Humane Society as they were called by officers thinking the dogs would be left home alone. Because at that point, everybody was either being taken to jail or to the hospital."

Why did so many officers respond?

“This was a help-an-officer situation. The officers arriving don’t necessarily know what’s going on. When that help-an-officer goes out, that’s the gravest of situations for every officer to hear. That means one of their co-workers, one of the fellow law enforcement officers, needs assistance, needs assistance now. That is why all the officers responded. For the safety of my officers, it is important that every officer nearby respond as fast as possible and continue responding until that help-an-officer is canceled.”

Did the Omaha Police Department release the criminal histories of the Johnson brothers to deflect attention from our mistakes or make them look bad?

“We were asked by the media to provide the criminal histories, so we did.”

Was the police helicopter up?

"The Omaha Police Department helicopter was not up on this night, on March 21."

How many total officers responded?

"There were 21 officers at the scene. There were two command officers at the scene. The Omaha Police Department breaks down the city into four quadrants. Each quadrant is commanded by a police captain. That captain will roughly see over 100 officers. Each shift is commanded by a police lieutenant. Within that shift, there are three sergeants. Two of the shift supervisors were there that night. The lieutenant was off on this day."

Schmaderer said he's consulted with various other agencies during the course of the investigation, including the FBI, the city prosecutor, the Douglas County attorney and the city's legal department. However, he made a point to say the ultimate decisions are his alone.

The six-minute video posted to YouTube shows an officer pulling Octavius Johnson, 28, to the ground by the neck before a swarm of other officers chase one of his brothers into a home.

The head of the Omaha Police Officers Association said he trusts the chief's judgement. But Officer John Wells also said all officers disciplined are entitled to hearings and appeals if they choose to pursue them.

In a release, Mayor Jim Suttle said he stands by the chief's decision, saying “The Police Department has policies and procedures that must be adhered to all times, especially when dealing with the public. Chief Schmaderer’s determination to uphold the Department's professional standards is admirable.”

City Councilwoman Jean Stothert, Suttle's challenger in next month's mayoral election, also issued a statement.

“Our police officers have a difficult and dangerous job. In the overwhelming majority of cases, they do their jobs admirably. Misconduct using excessive force must not be tolerated. I applaud Chief Schmaderer for leading a thorough investigation, moving quickly and decisively to repair public trust, and for taking appropriate corrective action."

Citizens gathered outside police headquarters to watch the press conference live on a laptop.

"They have to be punished for what they did; same for me, you or anyone else would that's a normal citizen,” said Robert Wagner.

Wagner, outspoken since his own controversial arrest, said the firing of four officers sends the right message.

"I think the chief did his job and you know, did what he could to restore faith in the system,” Wagner said.

Councilman Ben Gray, who called for a swift and thorough investigation just days after the arrest video surfaced, said the city got what it deserved.

"I think this sends a strong message that this police chief is not going to stand misbehavior by his officers,” Gray said.

Community member D'Shawn Cunningham said he understands police personnel matters are private but wishes he could know more about exactly what happened during this arrest.

"I think that's something, as a community, that we should look at is when these things do happen. How much right does the public have to know?” Cunningham said.

Clergy members from north Omaha held a press conference this afternoon, saying the chief's actions could change the entire culture of community and police relations.

"Looking to partner with this community and the stake holders here, so that we can affect the change that all of us want a safer community, a more secure environment to raise our children and to operate in this community,” said Pastor Wayne Banks with Pleasant Green Baptist Church.

Nebraska’s chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Becki Brenner called the discipline a positive step.

“We appreciate that Police Chief Todd Schmaderer has taken these allegations seriously and moved forward with disciplinary action,” she said.

Nebraska ACLU said it hopes the action sparks a series of reforms for the Omaha Police Department.

Former Omaha police Chief Tom Warren said Schmaderer’s findings were timely, swift and decisive. He wouldn’t critique the specifics of the investigation or how Schmaderer handled it, but he said the viral video was a critical piece of evidence, proving, in part, that at least one officer violated standard police protocol and took the use of force to an extreme.

“I will tell you that a lateral, vascular neck restraint is fairly high on the force continuum, and a party would have to be exhibiting active aggression toward an officer to constitute that use of force,” Warren said.

Willie Barney with the Empowerment Network said the organization will soon survey the community on how to build public trust.

“Then we can look at solutions we need to move forward on,” Barney said.

Timeline of events (released by Omaha police):

5:23 pm - Officer advises radio that he is at 3321 Seward Street to check an unoccupied vehicle which he describes as a black mustang with plate SZG624

5:27 pm - Officer asked for another cruiser to assist due to a disturbance that occurred on a prior occasion at this address

5:27 pm NE Dispatch sends two Adam Units (one officer) but a Baker Unit (2 officer car) advised NE dispatch that they were at 33 & Hamilton and can assist the other officer so they can cancel the other officers

5:28 pm - Dispatch cancelled one of the responding officers.

6:03 pm - Baker car dispatched requested another cruiser to assist

6:03 pm - officer on scene states that people are coming out of the house at them and requests more cars again

6:06 pm - Unknown officer yells over the radio, "don't run in the house from us."

6:06 pm - Command officer tells dispatch to make it a "help". Dispatch does not respond right away so the Command Officer repeats his request to make it a "help an Officer Call."

6:06 pm - "Help an Officer" tones are sent citywide to all four precincts

6:06 pm - Baker Car advised they are en route.

Other cars are sent from other precincts but don't make it to the scene when the help is cancelled at 6:10pm

6:11 pm - two command officers arrive on scene and one cancels the "help an officer." The command officer also asked for the Nebraska Humane Society to respond to the scene.

From 6:14 pm to 6:20 pm - several officers advise radio they are finished with the "help an officer" call and are available for service.

6:37 pm - command officer asked for a medic unit to be dispatched to 3321 for a 60 year old female complaining of leg pain and advises radio that she is alert conscious and breathing

6:5 1pm - Medic 24 arrived on scene and asked for an engine company to assist with female

7:04 pm - Medic 24 contacts UNMC that they are enroute and ETA is four minutes

6:43pm Octavious Johnson (male party arrested outside between the truck and mustang) was booked into Douglas County Corrections for Obstructing a Peace Officer, Reckless Driving, Resisting Arrest & Disorderly Conduct. Johnson currently had a misdemeanor warrant for arrest for "failure to Appear" in an unrelated incident.

7:02 pm - Demetrius Johnson ( Male party arrested inside of 3321 Seward) was booked at Douglas County Corrections for Obstructing a Peace Officer, and an unrelated misdemeanor warrant

7:23 pm Juaquez Johnson (male party video recording outside) was booked into Douglas County Corrections for Obstructing a Peace Office and Disorderly Conduct

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We'll have much more on this story, including reaction from community leaders, tonight on KETV NewsWatch 7.